Palestine man arrested following standoff

PALESTINE — A man is in custody after a standoff with police officers, where he allegedly claimed to have multiple firearms and a bomb. According to our news partner KETK and the Palestine Police Department, on Jan. 1 at around 4:40 p.m., officers were dispatched to a residence in the 100 block of St. Andrews Drive due to a disturbance. The caller reportedly had advised authorities that the man inside the house was armed. When officers arrived, they reportedly heard gunshots being fired inside the house and a short time after a female ran out of the residence and was taken to safety by officers. The suspect, Tin Phan, 26, of Palestine, was reportedly the only person inside the house. The PPD emergency team arrived at the scene. Officials said Phan came out of the house with a firearm and was wearing a military uniform. An attempt to negotiate with Phan reportedly failed and Phan ran back into the residence. Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Phan and a search warrant for the residence.

Over several hours, PPD negotiators attempted to get Phan out and during this time Phan reportedly said he had multiple firearms and a bomb inside the house. He allegedly began to fire shots from inside the house. Officials said “chemical agents were then introduced into the residence.” Around 9:45 p.m., Phan came out of the residence and taken into custody. After a search of the residence, officers reportedly found multiple firearms, including rifles near windows in the attic, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and a suspicious device in the attic. The Tyler Fire Department Bomb Squad determined the device was not a threat.

Phan was taken to the Anderson County Jail and was initially booked for deadly conduct and evading arrest detention. Additional charges are reportedly pending.